Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

चतुर्दश्याममावास्यां पञ्चदश्यां विशेषतः । अहोरात्रोषितो भूत्वा ब्राह्मणान्भोज्य शक्तितः

Transliteration

caturdaśyāmamāvāsyāṃ pañcadaśyāṃ viśeṣataḥ | ahorātroṣito bhūtvā brāhmaṇānbhojya śaktitaḥ

Translation

Am vierzehnten Mondtag, an Amāvāsyā und besonders am fünfzehnten—nachdem man einen vollen Tag und eine volle Nacht verweilt hat—soll man Brahmanen nach Kräften speisen.

Word by Word

• चतुर्दश्याम्: on the fourteenth lunar day
• चतुर्दश्याम्: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चतुर्दशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन — 'on the fourteenth (tithi)'

• अमावास्याम्: on new moon
• अमावास्याम्: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अमावास्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन — 'on new moon'

• पञ्चदश्याम्: on the fifteenth lunar day
• पञ्चदश्याम्: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्चदशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन — 'on the fifteenth (tithi)'

• विशेषतः: especially
• विशेषतः: Avyaya (Adverbial modifier/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विशेषतस् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb) — 'especially/particularly'

• अहोरात्रोषितः: having stayed for a day and night
• अहोरात्रोषितः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अहोरात्र-उषित (कृदन्त; √वस्/उष् 'to dwell'—उषित)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: 'अहोरात्रम् उषितः' (one who has stayed day and night)

• भूत्वा: having become
• भूत्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive) — 'having become/being'

• ब्राह्मणान्: Brahmins
• ब्राह्मणान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन — 'Brahmins'

• भोज्य: should feed
• भोज्य: Kriya (Injunctive/vidhi sense/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भोज्य (कृदन्त; √भुज् (धातु))
• Form: तव्यत्/यत्-प्रत्ययार्थ कृदन्त, विधेय-भाव (gerundive) — 'to be fed/one should feed' (here as instruction)

• शक्तितः: according to one’s capacity
• शक्तितः: Avyaya (Manner/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: शक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (adverb) — 'according to ability'

Speaker

Śiva (deduced from section flow)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa (Prabhāsa-pañcaka context)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims camp near the shore-temple precinct; lamps burn through the night; at dawn, seated brāhmaṇas are served food respectfully by householders, with the sea and temple in the background.

Characters & Entities

• Amāvāsyā
• Caturdaśī
• Pañcadaśī
• Brāhmaṇas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is completed by dharmic conduct—discipline of time (tithi), staying with restraint, and charity through feeding the worthy.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra (context of the chapter’s Prabhāsa-māhātmya).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Observance on Caturdaśī/Amāvāsyā/Pañcadaśī, ahorātra-vāsa (day-night stay), and brāhmaṇa-bhojana according to capacity.